Introduction

Hi there! It’s the LC challenge team from Mannheim and Heidelberg. Yes, you heard correctly. Two oh so different cities, connected not only by a river but more importantly - by the work of CorrelAid.


As both Mannheim and Heidelberg are so different, we use this cool opportunity to explore the available local data with a focus on our home cities. And, given the uncertain present and future of, well, the world, we chose to take a closer look at how we can use this data to understand differences and thereby build a better future.


Our team did not consist of any Python users, which is why we moved our work to R (no worries if that means we cannot win anything, we just wanted to participate in some way!). Using the new datenguideR package, we focus following analyses on the topics of:

C - onsumption
O - bligation
R - ubbish
R - ents
E - ntrepreneurship
L - ife

A - vailability
I - infrastructure
D - evelopment

Enough talking, let’s dive right into the first topic!

Beginning with consumption, we first compare the cities’ gross domestic products per worker and inhabitant.

Building a better future is about inclusion and sustainable growth. This is why we took a closer look at how many elderly people are in need and receive basic security by the state. With interesting gender differences:

A sustainable future goes hand in hand with reducing waste. But what about Mannheim and Heidelberg? Who wins the race on producing less waste? Let’s have a look!

When talking about building a better tomorrow, it is inevitable to touch on the topic of rents. So let’s turn the gaze to the monthly rent per m² of a 30m² flat. Which city is cheaper? And how did prices develop over time?

An indicator of a favourable economic environment might also lie in successful entrepreneurship. How many people take the plunge and register their own business? So far, it seemed like Heidelberg might be ahead, but these results truly suprised us. But see for yourself!

We talked about many aspects, but left out one of the seemingly most important factors so far: Life. How many people are born, how many die, and to what extent do these factors balance out over time?

Our vision of a better future also includes financial sustainability. But how does that play out in real life? How much (disposable) income does the population of our cities have?

Last but not least: How did the cities populations develop over time? Do more and more people decide to move to our LC’s hometowns - or are population sizes shrinking?

So what?

We have reached the end of our short analyses, so what have we learned? Mannheim and Heidelberg both have strengths and weaknesses in the building blocks of a sustainable future. But in working together, using data and initiating change we can contribute to the construction of a better tomorrow.

And this is why we believe in CorrelAid. All of us can work together and contribute to the change many of us wish for. Enough from us, now it’s your turn! Use the package and explore your region!

Best
Your LC Challenge team MannheimXHeidelberg